Left Behind (Missing Scene from Frame-up)
by chantelle99
Summary: At the beginning of Frame-up, what if things went from bad to worse for Chief?


It was a moonless night, quiet and bleak, until the alarm went off in the dark, and the alleyway suddenly lit up like daytime. Seconds after Garrison made his way into the sewer, bursts of gunfire echoed, amplified by the narrow alleyway. He anxiously looked up at Chief, who was still above ground, firing back at the German guards in pursuit. Garrison's heart sank when he saw Chief's knee buckle, obviously taking a hit. The young man clenched his teeth and pushed himself up, and continued to block the enemy's attack, trying to earn some time for both of them to escape.

As the guards took cover, Chief half climbed, half dropped in the sewer. Garrison caught him, and then slowly lowered him to the ground. "Take it easy."

Chief's hand gripped tightly below his right knee. Blood was oozing out between his fingers. "Piece of cake huh? Meet an agent, get some documents, 'n cut out!" Chief snarled.

Garrison couldn't argue with that. The missions almost always started easy, until something went terribly wrong. He half carried the wounded man towards the exit they came in from. By the time they got to the bottom of the ladder, Chief was panting heavily.

To Garrison's frustration, the grate was stuck. The back wheel of a vehicle was pressing down on one of the corners. Dammit! Garrison cursed under his breath. He remembered clearly that there was a "No Parking" signs on this side of the street! They were at a dead end of the tunnel. The only way out was to force the grate open. However, time was not on their side. The pursuing guards followed them into the sewer. After two rounds of engagement, the grate was only half-open.

Chief could tell from the footsteps that more guards were closing in on them. The only thing stopping them from turning that corner was the last grenade Garrison threw out. It won't take much time for them to figure out that they were out of ammunition. There was little chance both of them could get out in time, even if he was not injured. He looked up at Garrison, who was still struggling with the grate, but said nothing.

Finally the grate budged, and Garrison quickly flipped it open and climbed out. He immediately spun around, lying on the cold pavement, and dropped both hands down to Chief. "Chief, give me your hands!"

Chief pushed himself up as fast as he could, grabbed the rungs with both hands and pulled. Holding on to the ladder with only his left hand and foot, he reached out his right arm to Garrison. Just when their fingers touched, Chief felt his left shoulder explode and lost his grip. He fell to the bottom of the sewer like a rock.

Chief hit the ground with a loud groan. The fall intensified the pain of his fresh wounds. Ignoring the approaching enemy, Chief tossed something at Garrison using his right arm.

"Catch!" Chief gasped.

Garrison caught it, and without looking, he knew it was the key to their getaway car.  
"Go!" Chief yelled.

Garrison had no choice. He could hear the guards closing in, yelling in German "Take them alive!" Looking into those pain-filled dark eyes, Garrison made sure that Chief could hear every single word he had to say. "I'll come back for you!" A faint smile appeared on Chief's face, now covered with cold sweat and grimacing with pain.

Garrison jumped up and ran. The getaway car Chief had acquired for them was only steps ahead. He yanked open the door, hopped into the driver seat and took off. The guilt he felt for leaving Chief behind was almost suffocating. Hopefully they would keep him alive long enough. Garrison was also acutely aware what would be waiting for a spy caught in action. Chief would be sent to the Gestapo or SS right away. "Will they at least treat his wounds first?" Trying not to think about the worst scenario, Garrison muttered, "Hang in there, Chief."

* * *

The rendezvous was a furniture warehouse 30 minutes away. Garrison made it in almost half of the time. He hesitated in front of the backdoor. Before he could ready himself for the explanation he had to make to the rest of the team, the door opened quietly. "Welcome back. " Actor smiled standing inside, carrying his usual charm.

Garrison simply nodded and slipped in.

"How did it go?" Garrison asked his second in command.

"Smooth as silk. Our contact is escorting the agent to a safe location as we speak." Actor responded with his suave demeanor.

Casino appeared to be in a good mood too. "Yeah, easy peasy. Just like you said. Hey, you're back early too."

"Look what I found, Warden." Goniff pulled out a bottle of whisky and held it up with pride.

They both paused when they noticed the look on Garrison's face. Something was wrong.

"Where is Chief?" Actor asked, realizing nobody else was coming out from the car.

"He was taken."

"Blimey! 'Ow?"

"We ran into a patrol on our way out. He was shot."

"Was it serious?" Actor frowned.  
"He was hit in the leg," Garrison paused, "and the shoulder."

"Where's he now?" Casino pushed to his feet in a rush.

"I don't know."

Garrison realized the situation was sounding worse with every answer he gave.

"And you left him?" Casino asked accusingly.

"I had no choice!" Garrison was trying to convince himself as well as the others.

"I _knew_ it was a bad idea splitting us up. Who do they think we are?! Superheroes?!" Casino snarled.

"Did you get the documents?" Actor was hoping for something on the positive side.

"Yes, I have them."

Casino pressed on, "So that's all that matters, huh? Stupid mission! Stupid documents! What about Chief?!"

"We'll get him back." Garrison stated with determination. He turned to Actor. "Actor, let's start with the hospitals nearby. See what we can find."

"I'll drive." Casino grabbed his coat, putting it on as he walked towards the door.

Goniff followed.

"Goniff, I need you to deliver the documents." Garrison stopped him.

"Me? Can't we get Chiefy back first?"

"No. This can't wait. The document is the plan for an attack to our coastline. It's happening in…" He checked his watch, "less than 32 hours. The earlier our army gets a hold of the documents, the more time they will have to prepare for it. You leave now. Our people on the sub will be able to transmit the information to London. Ask if they can wait for us till tomorrow night. If not, go back with them. We will find another way back."

"I ain't gonna go back on my own."  
"Goniff," Garrison laid his hand on the shoulder of the English pickpocket, looking at him steadily in the eyes. "I'm counting on you now to accomplish this mission. If we failed to deliver the documents, Chief would have been shot for nothing."

That did it. Goniff dropped his eyes. He spoke again with an unprecedented seriousness in his voice: "Alright, Warden. I'll do it."

"Good." Garrison gently squeezed Goniff's shoulder, handing the documents to him, "Be careful."

* * *

Chief woke up from a searing pain. He tried to open his eyes. The lights were glaring and he had to squint. He closed them again, trying to recall what had happened. He remembered the stale smell and dampness of the sewer; the blows of rifle landing on him when he tried to block the guards from the ladder; the sound of Garrison's car driving off; finally the blinding pain when he was dragged out from the sewer. The guards gave no regard to his injury. They pulled him up by his arms, and his wounded leg hit the ladder hard. He must have passed out then.

He turned his head aside to avoid the lights. The strong smell of antiseptics suggested that he was in a hospital. Among the voices in German, he could hear the clattering sound of metal. He tried to move, but couldn't. He looked down and realized that he was tied down to a hospital bed. Chief struggled immediately from instinct. He would rather suffer pain than be restrained. A hand suddenly held his jaw, forcing him to turn and look up.

Blinking to clear his vision, Chief saw the skinny face of a German officer, and recognized the "SS" on his collars.

"You are a very brave man. I heard you killed several of our people after being injured. I can order to have you executed right now, but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to treat your wounds." he paused, "as long as you answer a few of my questions."

Chief held his gaze, "I ain't tellin' you nothin'."

"Don't be so sure. You see we do not want to waste morphine on spies. But I'm willing to make an exception for you if you corporate. "

Chief found the SS officer annoying more than anything else. It was not the first time he had his wounds treated without morphine. It was going to hurt, but it wouldn't make any difference.

"Save your breath and your morphine."

"Very well then. We will give you some drug to keep you awake throughout the operation. I'm sure that you'll enjoy every minute of it." His lips curled up in a cruel smile.

Dressed in a doctor's white coat, Actor was talking to Garrison, who was posing as a relative of a patient. They walked towards the emergency room. Two armed guards stood on both sides of the door.  
Actor stopped and said to Garrison, "I'll be with you shortly." He turned to push the door, but was blocked by the barrels of guns from both guards.

"I'm a doctor," he said in German, giving them a stern look.

"Nobody gets in without orders." The guards were not wavering.

Actor and Garrison looked at each other, contemplating taking the guards down. But there were too many people walking about in the corridor.

The door swung open. A nurse appeared, looking frantic. She saw Actor's white coat and immediately pulled on his sleeve. "Doctor, we need help!"

The guards hesitated until they heard someone inside the room. "Let him in."

Garrison tried to peek through the open door. There was an SS officer and two armed guards standing beside the operating table, among other doctors and nurses, blocking his view of the patient.

"Wait here, Sir." Actor said to him, putting on his mask. "This will only take a minute." Then he disappeared behind the door.

"Hold his leg still!" the doctor urged Actor.

Actor rushed into position, stealing a look at the patient. It was Chief.

The leg he was holding down was trembling uncontrollably. The pants had been cut off from the thigh. The doctor had sliced the wound open, wiped away the blood and muscle tissues, and was looking for the bullet. Two nurses were desperately trying to hold down his other leg, which seemed to be intact.

Chief was tied down to the operating table. Loops of thick rope bound his upper body tightly just under his chest, making breathing difficult and painful. His hands were also tied up on both sides. His jacket had been removed. His shirt was soaked in blood at the left shoulder. Through the torn fabric, Actor could see a nasty-looking gaping wound. Despite the appearance, Actor thought it was a flesh wound, not life-threatening.

Chief seemed to be in tremendous agony. His face and chest glistened in sweat. Chief clenched his teeth, trying to suppress a scream of pain.

"No morphine?" Actor asked in disbelief.

The doctor simply shot a cold look at the SS officer, and continued probing for the bullet.

Finally, the end of the bullet was exposed. It seemed to be lodged in bone. The Doctor was trying to use some tool that Actor couldn't name to hold onto the bullet and extract it. Chief jerked involuntarily, fighting the fierce pain that was shooting up to his brain.

"Wait!" Actor stopped the doctor. He looked up facing the SS officer and explained the situation in German, and stated that it would be inhumane to perform such an operation without any anesthetic. He understood the risk of attracting unnecessary attention, but he had to do something.

The officer waited for Actor to finish but didn't respond. He took out a handkerchief and proceeded to almost gently wipe off the sweat from Chief's face. "The doctor just informed me that the bullet is lodged in your bone. It would be very painful to take it out. Are you ready to talk? It's not too late to change your mind."

Chief simply looked away.

"Your friend left you alone to suffer this. Why are you still protecting him?"

Chief slowly turned his head towards the officer, trying to speak through labored breaths. The officer leaned in to listen. "Geh zum Teufel!" It was not loud, but clear.

Actor froze. He taught Chief this German phrase back in the mansion. When Garrison asked Actor to teach the cons some basic German, Casino demanded to add some swear words to the syllabus to "spice things up". He had never expected to hear it in this situation. He had to give the Indian credit for pronouncing the phrase almost perfectly, even when he was in so much pain. It meant, "Go to hell".

Chief seemed to be quite satisfied with the effect. The boyish grin on his face was as victorious as if he had just beaten Casino at darts again.

It took the SS officer a second to realize that he had been played. His face slowly dropped. Without warning, he savagely dug his fingers deep into Chief's shoulder wound. Chief inhaled sharply, eliciting a cry of pain as his body suddenly shivered and struggled in vain under the devilish hold.

The cry brought Garrison to his feet outside the emergency room. He stood for a few seconds, then slowly sank back to the bench. It had to be Chief. Otherwise, Actor would have found an excuse to leave the room by now. Regrets and frustration were written all over Garrison's face, suited for a patient's relative. At least he didn't have to hide it.

By the time the SS officer released his grip, his light grey glove was soaked with red blood. He removed it with disgust and dropped it on the floor. Recovered from his embarrassment, he resumed his posture and stepped back from the operating table. "Continue." Then he turned to Actor, "If you have a problem with this, I will have you removed."

Actor said nothing. He was hoping Chief could notice him in the room, but the kid was mustering all his will in fighting the pain. The least he could do was to go through this with him.

The torture resumed with more intensity. Actor watched in horror as the doctor started to file away some bone tissue in order to loosen the firm lodging of the bullet. Chief could no longer suppress the coarse cry. His entire body shuddered in sheer agony. His back arched within the limit of the bonds. He desperately wanted to pass out but the drugs kept him alert.

Actor had always taken pride in staying in character no matter what happened during a con. This time, he came so close to blowing his cover. If anybody as much as glanced at him, they would know instantly that the concern he had for the wounded spy was beyond that of a doctor to a patient. Fortunately for him, everybody's attention was focused on the man tied down at the operating table. Nobody knew if he could survive this ordeal without going insane or being killed by the pain instead of the wound. Either way would seem a more merciful outcome compared to what he was going through.

Chief was gasping for air. An ocean of excruciating pain submerged him, and there was no escape. After hours of torture, he was at the end of his endurance. His mind started to swim. Finally, as the bullet was extracted with one forceful pull, Chief let out another anguish cry before sinking into unconsciousness.

"When can you wake him up?" The SS officer stared at the still figure with a frown.

"He may never wake up. We'll have to keep him under observation, and put a cast on his leg," the doctor answered without slowing down his work.

"That won't be necessary. He will be transferred to the prison tomorrow morning. We will continue the interrogation there." The officer turned to leave.

As the door of the emergency room closed behind the officer and the guards, the doctor directed a nurse to give Chief a shot of morphine. "He will be in a lot of pain when he wakes up. This is probably the last thing we can do for him."

He nodded at Actor. "Thanks for your help. I can take it from here."

Actor wanted to stay, but he needed to work with Garrison to come up with a rescue plan. He cast one more look at the unconscious man, and left the room.

* * *

Garrison rushed up to Actor the minute he appeared at the door, taking his hand, and started mumbling, "Doctor, you have to save my wife."

As soon as they were out of sight of the guards, Garrison whispered, "So?"  
"It's him." Actor looked exhausted.

"What happened in there?"

Before Actor could answer, a group of guards marched by, fully armed.

Actor pulled Garrison aside. "Too many people here. Give me a few minutes to change. I'll meet you in the car."

Casino simply couldn't wait any longer. Damn it! He had to find out what was going on and do something, anything! He left the engine running, hid his handgun under his coat, pushed the car door open, and hurried towards the hospital building. As he was approaching the gate, Garrison appeared, head down, walking fast. He glanced at Casino and went right past him. Casino turned and followed behind.

Casino could hardly wait till they got back in the car before bursting out, "What took you so long? Found him?"  
"Yes." There was little relief in Garrison's voice.

"And?"

"I didn't see him. We'll ask Actor when he gets back."

After about 15 minutes, which felt like an eternity, Actor opened the back door and climbed in. He was no longer wearing the coat, but carried a suitcase.

"How's the kid?" Casino asked.  
"Alive...for now."

"What did they do? I heard..." Knowing very well that he wouldn't like the answer, Garrison had to ask.  
Letting out a heavy sigh, Actor reluctantly explained, "They removed the bullet in his leg. It was lodged firmly in the bone. Chief endured the whole operation without any anesthetic."

Garrison closed his eyes.  
Casino slammed his fist on the back of his seat with rage, "Bastards!"

"They will transfer him to prison tomorrow morning," Actor added.

"What are we waiting for?" Casino shifted his look impatiently between Garrison and Actor.

"A plan." Garrison went on, "They seem to be using Chief as bait. Those three vehicles parked behind the building are full of soldiers. We don't stand a chance breaking out of here with Chief on a stretcher."

"No way we can find uniforms here." Casino cast a worried look at the hospital building.

"That depends on what outfit you have in mind." Actor opened his suitcase and produced two doctor's coats.

Outside the emergency room, Actor was pointing at a medical chart, giving some directions to his assistant - Garrison, who was wearing the mask Actor had on earlier so he wouldn't be recognized. They stopped at the door and were again stopped by the guards.

"I need to examine the patient."

"Nobody gets in without orders."

"If the patient dies, which one of you is to take responsibility?"

The guards looked at each other and stepped aside.

Garrison took a few quick steps towards the bed. His breath caught at the sight of his young scout lying motionless. A white sheet covered his lower body. His shoulder had been treated and bandaged. Chief's face was pale as ashes. He was barely breathing.

Garrison gently took Chief's hand. The hand that could throw a blade with enough force to kill a man from twenty feet now felt boneless and soft.

Not wanting to alert the guards outside, Garrison whispered, "Chief, can you hear me?" He watched as the dark eyes slowly fluttered open.  
"War…den" Chief's response was merely the moving of his lips, too weak to even make a sound.  
"Easy, Chief. Ready to come home with us?"  
Chief briefly blinked his eyes once as answer. He tried to sit up, only managed to put his weight on the wounded shoulder and slumped back with a weak groan.

"Stay still," Garrison gently held Chief down.

"Actor, tell the guards outside that the prisoner escaped." Garrison stood behind the door, getting ready to take them when they entered.

"No," Chief rasped, "...SS, they are back."

Actor and Garrison both looked at Chief, then at each other, amazed that his senses were still acute in this frail state. They needed a plan B, right now!

The door swung open, and the SS officer strode in, closely followed by his assistant and two armed guards. He regarded the two "doctors" standing by the bed, and landed his eyes on his prisoner, whose body was covered under a white sheet from head to toe.

"What happened?"

"He is dead," the "doctor" he saw earlier announced.

"Impossible!" The officer walked over and pulled down the sheet. Chief looked lifeless.

"We tried to revive him, but it was too late." the other "doctor" added.

The SS officer cursed loudly, pacing in the room. After letting out his frustration, he finally walked towards the door. Then he halted abruptly as if remembering something. Turning around, he gave Actor a suspicious look and walked back to the bed. Slowly, he reached out his hand to Chief's neck to feel his pulse.

Actor's handgun was pointing at him in his pocket. Garrison's pistol was trained on the assistant. They would have to worry about the two guards later, plus the two outside the room, and the others downstairs.

A sudden explosion almost shattered the windows. Everybody in the room startled, except the "corpse". Blasting of gunfire followed immediately.

"Leave the body here," the officer ordered before hurrying out.

"Yeah, right." Actor thought.

"Chief." Garrison shook him gently, afraid he would never wake up.

Chief drew in a deep breath and opened his eyes. "What was that?"

"No idea. Let's get you out of here. Sleep tight."

Garrison again covered Chief's face with the sheet. With Actor's help, they pushed the bed out to the corridor. The guards were gone. People were hiding under desks and in corners from unidentifiable enemies. They left the building without any trouble.

At the loading dock, Casino stood in front of a big van he just "borrowed". Watching the "body" being pushed out, his jaw dropped and his feet faltered, not able to utter a word.

"He is alive." Garrison told him quickly.

"Damn it, you scared me to death!" Casino quickly climbed into the driver seat. Actor stayed with Chief in the back. Garrison got into the passenger seat to cover Casino. Casino floored the gas, leaving the battlefield behind.

* * *

Casino was driving like a maniac. They were almost eight hours behind schedule. Did Goniff managed to convince the sub to wait? Nobody knew for sure. After all, they were all expendable.

The country road was bumpy and dusty. Garrison could hear Chief moaning weakly from the back. "Casino, pullover. I'll go check on Chief. "

"Can't, Warden. We got company. "

Garrison shot a look back. Sure enough, a German staff car was tailing them less than a hundred yards behind. He was so distracted by Chief's condition that he totally missed it.

"How fast can you go?"

"Not fast enough." Casino growled with frustration.

"Alright. Slow down around the curve ahead. I'll try to stop them. Wait 15 minutes. If I don't show up, go to the sub."

"Are you out of your m-"

Before Casino could finish his sentence, Garrison jumped out.

As the staff car approached, Garrison raised his gun. There were three people in it. He aimed at the driver. Suddenly, the blonde sitting at the front passenger seat blocked his aim. Garrison rushed out from the bush and waved at the car. The vehicle suddenly slowed down, the momentum taking it a few more yards past where Garrison was standing, before coming to a halt. The blonde jumped off and ran towards him.  
"Warden!"

"Goniff, what are you doing here?"

"I made the drop and told them about Chiefy. Your friend Richard asked Johnny and William to come 'elp us." He pointed to the two men on the car with his thumb. "I saw your car at the 'ospital and figured you were there for Chiefy. So we started the fireworks."  
"Were you followed?"

"Oh yeah, but we put bombs on the Kraut's cars. Two of them blew up while chasing us."

"Good job, Goniff!" Garrison clapped at his shoulder.

"'Ow's Chiefy?"  
"He is in bad shape. But he'll make it."

"I saw you guys in the van. We've been tryin' to catch up for the past half hour. Casino driving? I'm not sittin' in there... "

Garrison interrupted, "The sub?"

"Waitin' for us."

"Hurry, let's go." Garrison jumped on the front seat.

Goniff hopped in behind him. "'Ey, Warden. 'Ow did you know it was me?"

"I didn't."

"Blimey!" Goniff murmured, realizing how close he had come to being ambushed by the warden.

* * *

The veil of the hospital window rippled in the afternoon breeze. A bird sang cheerfully in a tree nearby. Waking up slowly, Garrison felt as if his back was broken. He found himself slumped in the chair. How long was he asleep? He frowned, rubbing his sore back.

"Warden." Chief greeted him from his hospital bed.

Garrison sighed with a smile. He had insisted on staying in the hospital so he could be there when Chief woke up. Now Chief had beaten him to it.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A while."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Good to be home." Chief had his left arm in a sling, and his wounded leg in a heavy cast. Garrison got up from his chair to fix a cup of water for Chief, and helped him sit up a bit. Chief held the cup with one hand and sipped. Garrison winced at the sight of Chief's bruised wrist from his previous ordeal.

Chief slowly emptied the cup and passed it back. "Thanks."

Garrison sat on the edge of his bed. "Chief, sorry I had to leave you behind-"  
"It's alright. I would have done the same."

"No, you wouldn't." Garrison recalled the last time, when he was the one shot off of a motorcycle. Chief went back for him, and they both got caught by the Germans.

"Probably not," Chief chuckled. "That's why you're the Warden. You did the right thing. Thanks for bringing me back."

"Eh, Chiefy!" Goniff rushed in, followed closely by Actor and Casino.

"Hey, you are all here. Don't you have training today?"

"So you can keep the pretty nurses to yourself?!" Casino put up an angry face, but it soon morphed into a big grin.

Actor directed his question to Garrison, "Warden, I didn't know you are so sentimental."

"What?" Garrison followed Actors eyes to a bouquet of violets in a simple vase on the nightstand. He quickly threw his hands up and shook his head, "I didn't do it." as if denying a crime.

They all turned to Chief, who had the most innocent look on his face. "I've no clue."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Actor walked over and picked up a purple envelope lying next to the vase. Chief wanted to stop him, but he was in no condition to do anything about it. Actor ignored the glare from Chief, took out a small card, and started to read with an exaggerated poetic tone, "Roses are red, violets are blue…"he paused, teasing Chief with a smile. Chief's stare had turned into a plea.

Actor put the card back in the envelope, "The rest is too personal for us to pry." He tugged the envelope under Chief's pillow.

"Aw, don't stop 'ere." Goniff protested loudly.

"So, which one is it? When are you gonna tell us?" Casino was not ready to give up.

"Knock it off." Chief blushed, feeling helpless. The vigor was missing in his voice.

Garrison came to his rescue, "Alright, guys, give him a break." He looked at his watch, "I have a debrief meeting at the Headquarters in 30 minutes. Don't stay too long. Chief needs some rest."

Casino winked at Chief, "I'm sure our little Indian will be taken _real_ good care of."

For once, Chief didn't object.

Casino turned to the rest, "Let's go for a drink."

"At _two_ in the afternoon?" Garrison questioned.

"Hey, we came back too late last night," Casino countered, "Plus, it's got to be evening _somewhere_ in the world. Right, Mr. Know-it-all?" He nudged Actor.

"Yes, China." Actor stated matter-of-factly.

Garrison shook his head, "Unbelievable."

One by one they walked out of the room.

"I'll be there in a minute," Actor said, staying beside Chief's bed.

Garrison nodded and closed the door behind him.

Actor sat down slowly, dreading the confession. "Listen, Chief. I'm sorry." He said quietly, looking at the cast around Chief's leg.

"What for?" Chief shifted his focus from the violets to Actor.

"When they operated on you, I was in the room, but I did nothing."

"Nothing you could do, Actor. You tried."  
"You knew?!" Actor looked up at Chief, his eyes widened.

"C'mon. You think I won't recognize your voice if you speak German?"

"I thought you didn't notice..."

"I gave you a hint, remember? How was my German?"

Actor smiled. "Your pronunciation was perfect. I believe you possess a genuine talent in language."

With a wicked grin, Chief said, "Now you are just trying to con me into doing your job. No way, man!"


End file.
